She's Having My Baby
by Anasazi
Summary: When Harry gets chosen for a very special project, he’s faced with a problem that makes Voldemort seem as dangerous as a word in Scrabble. Will he accept? Read on to find out.... HrG HHrG CH. 3 - TO BE OR NOT TO BE NOW UP! -IN HIATUS-
1. Default Chapter

She's Having My Baby 

**Genre**: Humor/Parody

**Archive**: Ask first.

**Feedback**: Please R/R

**Rating**: PG-13 for adult situations (might borderline on R on later chapters)

**Spoilers**: Not really.

**Disclaimers**: Harry Potter and his world belong to the magnificent J.K. Rowling. I am only the owner of the twisted plot.

**Summary**:

When Harry gets chosen for a very special project, he's faced with a problem that makes Voldemort seem as dangerous as a word in Scrabble. Will he accept? Read on to find out....

Chapter 1 – Prologue 

The image on the screen showed only static, until the lone figure of a red haired girl with bright green eyes and a warm smile appeared.

"Lil, is this on already?" a male voice asked from somewhere out of the screen. The girl in the video screen nodded. "Yes, the little red light is on. Now, come here, Jim" she said bossily. A second later, a young man with chestnut messy hair, green eyes and the same warm smile appeared next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and winked at the camera.

"Stop being a showoff, " the girl said as she put one around the guy's waist and used the other one to adjust a strand of fiery red hair behind her ear. "Remember the script?" the girl asked worriedly.

"Actually, I don't…" the guy answered with a smile. In reply, the girl elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch, I'm kidding, Lil! Of course, I remember," he replied, rubbing his sore spot. 

She compulsively tried to smooth his messy hair back. He smiled down warmly at her, "Relax, Lil. Everything's going to be fine."

The girl smile up at him, and the tension in her shoulders disappeared.

"Alright, on Three. Three…Two… One…."

The two youngsters looked at the camera.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Lily."

"And I'm her twin brother, James."

"As you now, I am on my third year of Film Studies here at Oxford University. And for my practical documentary class, I was asked to do a documentary about any subject I wished."

"Lily is so bright. Isn't she folks?"

"Shut up, Jim. No ad-lib."

"Sorry. Continue."

"Okay… in a couple of days, Jim and I are going to reach our 20th Birthday. Which got us thinking about what brought us together in the first place."

"Really? I was thinking that it was just one more year till we could go inside strip clubs."

"Jim, my grade is at stake here."

"Oh, sorry. But Lily is right about that… we've been doing a lot of thinking about what brought us together."

"And that is…?"

"Well, family of course! 

"Indeed. So, what better subject for my documentary than the subject of family? Even better…why not talk about our family?"

"You see, our family is a little… what's that word, Lil?"

"Unconventional."

"That's it. Unconventional. But aside from all our quirks and eccentricities, our family is one full of understanding…"

"Of patience…"

"Of Happy Times…"

"And bittersweet memories."

"But most of all, our family is full of… shall we say it together, Lil?"

The girl nodded.

"LOVE!"

"So, without further ado, we present to you…"

"THE STORY OF OUR FAMILY."

*******************

A/N: Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy this story! It is not going to be very long, but I think you might all enjoy it. I've never tried writing anything lighthearted, so I might need your guidance. 

This story is dedicated to love and friendship. May the world never know the day those two are not walking hand in hand anymore.

R/R 

Peace,

Anasazi


	2. The Question

Chapter 2: The Question 

**********

The Leaky Cauldron

Harry stared flabbergasted at the brown-haired girl that was his best friend, and at the smaller red-haired beauty next to her, his eyes wide, his jaw slacked, the mug of butterbeer in his right hand completely forgotten.

Had he just heard them right? No, it had to be a mistake. Yes, that's it. Probably they are going on vacation again and they just asked Harry to baby-sit that damn cat. What's the name? Oh, yes. Crookshanks. That little bastard had destroyed half his furniture the last time Harry had taken him in for a weekend.

It was good that he had never gotten around to replace them.

"So," Hermione's voice arose him from sweet memories of flinging whatever he had on his hand at Crookshanks. "So…" Harry repeated, confused. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm. Boy, it was hot in here.

"So, what do you say?" Ginny said, the hold she had on Hermione's hand tightening nervously. Harry fought a wave of nausea that made his way up his stomach.  

He was sure he had heard them wrong.

Right?

*********

2 Days Ago

Hermione was sitting on the dinner table, a cup of black coffee with no sugar steaming in her hands. She chuckled inwardly as she looked at the person that was walking around the small kitchen, whistling happily while flipping pancakes on the air with ease.

Six years ago, when Hermione was a 7th year student at Hogwarts and the threat of Voldemort was still very real, the entire group of Gryffindor seniors had gone to Hogsmeade for a weekend. One their very first night at the Three Broomsticks, Lavender came up with a very interesting way of passing the time.

"Let's make predictions about what our life is going to be after Hogwarts… and when we see each other 10 years from now, let's see how right we were," she had said happily. Everyone readily agreed.

The usual predictions were made. Everyone said that Harry was going to become either a great Auror or a Professional Quidditch player, that Parvati was going to become a famous seer, and that Hermione was going to become a teacher. But it had been Lavender herself that had made the most startling prediction of the night.

Flipping her hair back and with a tone of mock seriousness, she had said, "And I bet that, 10 years from now, Hermione is going to be married to one of the Weasley's." A collective murmur traveled around the Gryffindors, mainly because Lavender was presently dating Hermione's ex-boyfriend, Ron Weasley. 

Hermione just smiled at Lavender, knowing her friend was probably right about that one.

But what Lavender, Harry, Ron or the rest of the Gyfffindors didn't know was who the Weasley in question was.

Hermione stood up from the dining table and silently walked to the kitchen. Sneaking up behind her better half, she wrapped her arms around her lover's waist and hugged tightly, leaving a butterfly kiss on her neck.

"What was that for?" Virginia Weasley moaned as she let go of the frying pan and leaned back, resting her weight on Hermione's body. "That's for being my girl," Hermione whispered huskily, hugging Ginny even tighter.

"Not that I want you to let go, but breakfast is ready," Ginny whispered contently. "I better go eat. I can't afford to be late again," Hermione mumbled back. As usual, her arms refused to let go of Ginny. 

This was their morning ritual and the main reason why Hermione Granger, an Auror for the Ministry of Magic, was always late for work under the new Minister of Magic… who just happened to be her father-in-law.

It wasn't until Hermione heard a tapping on the kitchen window that she reluctantly let go of Ginny. Hermione found the brown spotted owl that delivered the Daily Prophet hovering just outside. "Here you go," Hermione said, placing three sickles in the owl's small pouch and gazing absently at the bird as it flew away.

By the time she was unrolling her paper, Ginny was already in the dinning room with breakfast. "Get that cute tush in here!" Ginny called. Hermione chuckled silently, making her way to the dinning room and sitting in front of Ginny.

It was a quiet, uneventful morning in the Granger-Weasley house. They spoke a bit about work, family, Charlie's next-weekend wedding, and Ron and Harry's next Quidditch match. All throughout breakfast Hermione had the uneasy feeling that Ginny wanted to tell her something, but four years of living under the same roof with Virginia Weasley had taught her that Ginny will only speak when she's ready.

"Look. The Weird Sisters are giving a concert next week. Do you want to go?" Hermione asked as she caught the announcement on that morning's Daily Prophet. "Yeah, sure," Ginny said nervously, twirling the fork in her hand like a juggler. Hermione tried to ignore this, suddenly recalling the motive to Ginny's anxiety.

"Do you remember what we talked about last night?" Ginny blurted out before Hermione had a chance to make a beeline for the door and leave for work. Hermione lowered her cup of coffee on the table and carefully swallowed what she had already on her mouth for fear of choking. 

Hermione did remember their conversation last night. She was just hoping Ginny would have forgotten it by now.

Hermione looked up at the expectant bright brown eyes of her wife. "Yes, I do," she answered simply. "And… have you thought about it?" Ginny asked, hope filling her lovely face. 

Hermione suppressed the impulse to snort. Of course she had thought about it. IT HAD KEPT HER AWAKE ALL NIGHT FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!

"Yes, I have," Hermione answered with as much poise as she could. Ginny, however, looked as if she was about to jump out of her chair.

"And…?" Ginny asked tentatively. Hermione's felt a new surge of love for the other woman as she reached across the table and grabbed Ginny's hand. She sighed, and tried to remember the speech she had prepared last night just in case the subject came up.

"Honey, I know you want this," Hermione started, trying not to lose her nerve when Ginny's eyes watered, "And I want this too. Believe me, I do. But, you know I have a very dangerous job, and I often have to be away from here, and…"

"Mione, if you don't want to do this. That's fine," Ginny said bitterly, taking her hand away from Hermione's. "But don't give me such rubbish excuses! In this life, everything is dangerous! You could die taking a shower, slip and break your neck, for Merlin's sake! But don't give me that bullshit about your work!" Ginny finished, her eyes screaming her disappointment.

"Honey, I want this as much as you do," Hermione said as Ginny wiped the tears from her reddened eyes. "But… I just… Why now? We are still young… there can be time for that. Why the rush?" Hermione asked softly. It was Ginny's hand that found hers this time, and Hermione felt warm when the redhead started tracing circles on her skin with her thumb.

"I think… I think is because something Charlie said. You remember last weekend? When you were helping Mom with the dishes, my brothers and I went to the porch to talk. I think it was Ron that said something like, 'You haven't been with Ea for three months. Why are you marrying her already?' " Ginny started, knowing Hermione was listening carefully.

Ginny continued, "And my brother said, 'Because when I looked into her eyes for the first time, I knew I loved her. And time is the only thing we can never win back. We don't know what might happen to us tomorrow, so we have to live in the present as if each day is going to be the last. And I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with Ea… maybe we will die young… or maybe we will die a hundred years from now… but I don't want any regrets. Life is too short to have any regrets'."

"I guess… I guess that's why I want to try this now… Who knows what may happen tomorrow? I don't want to have any regrets, Mione," Ginny finished, gently taking Hermione's hand between her own and kissing it. 

The sadness in Ginny's voice was unbearable to Hermione. What Ginny had just said had left her more than a little breathless. The redhead stood up from the dinning table and started gathering the plates, dropping a kiss in the top of Hermione's head.

"Don't worry about it, hon," Ginny had mumbled, walking toward the kitchen. Hermione looked over her shoulder at the woman fiddling in the kitchen. Ginny was now scratching Crooshanks' ears as the ginger cat meowed contently.

Ginny was beautiful. Ginny was hers. And most of all, Hermione knew that Ginny was right.

"Let's do it," Hermione said tentatively as she stood up. Ginny sighed and forced a smile. "Mione, don't worry about it. We can talk about this later. I'm sorry for pressuring you, honey, but..." Ginny replied, but Hermione quickly interrupted her.

"Love, could you please let me speak!" Hermione said with mocked exasperation. She had a hard time controlling the grin that wanted to spread on her cheeks. She had never been so sure about anything else in her life. "Alright," Ginny mumbled with an amused smile, crossing her hands over her chest as Hermione walked from the dining room and stood in front of her.

Hermione put her hands on Ginny's shoulders and lowered her head a bit, until she was face to face with the smaller woman. "I said, I want to do this. I want US to do this! And Charlie is right. There's no better place than the here and no better time than the now," she said, hoping her voice carried all the things she was feeling now and didn't trust herself to find the words to proclaim.

Ginny's face brightened like dawn in the summertime. "You… mean this! You really mean this!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Hermione and crushing her in a hug. "I do, love! I do!" Hermione replied with a genuine smile as she returned her lover's embrace. Ginny then kissed her with such passion that Hermione thought she was never going to be able to get to work that morning.

When they had parted, Ginny went into full preparation mode. "So, when do we start this?" she quickly asked Hermione. "I… I don't know," Hermione replied. She really hadn't had time to think that far ahead.

"Don't we need to pick up a volunteer? Cause we obviously need help with this," Hermione added quickly. "Oh, so we're using someone we know?" Ginny asked her, a frown creasing between her eyebrows. 

"I would prefer that. Don't you? I mean… this is a big thing. I really don't want to trust this to a complete stranger. Do you?" Hermione rationalized. "Well, who do you have in mind?" Ginny replied.

Hermione ran a list of possible candidates thru her head with amazing speed. "What about Ron? Or Fred?" she said. Ginny's face was one of pure disgust. "Oh, right. Forgot they were your brothers. Well… how about Neville?" Hermione continued.

"I really like Neville but… he's not what I had in mind," Ginny said apologetically. "Oh, but I heard Dean is available!" Ginny suggested.

"Dean? Um. I'm not comfortable enough to ask for his help," Hermione said. "Seamus?" Ginny offered. "He's too busy with the new Quidditch World Cup to help us. Hermione was going to suggest Ginny's friend Colin, when the obvious answered pop into her mind as if by magic.

Why hadn't she think of him in the first place? After all, he was her best friend since they were 11. And if there was anyone in the world who Hermione trusted with her own life, and the life of the girl she loved, it was he.

Hermione beamed at Ginny.

"I got it! I know who can help us!"

********

The Leaky Cauldron

Present

"Harry?" Hermione asked worriedly. Harry was as pale as Hermione had ever seen him, and he was now starting to look a little green around the cheeks. She reached across the table with her free hand and grabbed Harry's hand, only to find it unusually cold and so sweaty she fought the urge to wipe it clean on the cuff of his shirt.

"HARRY!" Hermione and Ginny shouted at the same time, getting the attention of a few of the patrons in the inn. Thankfully, they also seemed to raise Harry out of his stupor.

He licked his lips. Why was his mouth so dry? He was on his fourth butterbeer mug of the night. Maybe that's why he was feeling so strange. He may have been good at Quiddich and he may have been the only one who could bring about the dark lord's demise… but Harry Potter sucked at drinking.

"Harry, do you have an answer?" Hermione asked nervously. "An answer to what?" Harry replied, utterly confused. "To our question!" Ginny said, slightly frustrated, her cheeks so red she seemed to be sprouting new freckles right in front of his eyes.

"What was the question again?" Harry asked, adjusting the collar of his shirt. It was definitely hot in here! He would have to complain to Tom about this. What were they trying to do? Kill him?

Hermione looked at Ginny and then again at Harry. Locking her eyes with his, she repeated the question she had hoped he would have already answered.

"Harry, Ginny and I want you to be the father of our baby. What do you think?"

No sooner Hermione finished that sentence that a loud thud reverberated on the inn. 

Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived, had just fainted.

*************

Well, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Poor Harry, I feel bad for him. Mayhem and chaos are sure to come next. How can he answer THAT without losing?

Now, lots of thanks to the wonderful reviewers:

**Requiem to a Dream**: Thanks for dropping me a line. Awesome nick by the way!

**LylMistikelf**: Hehe glad it is confusing, but don't worry! It will be explained chapter by chapter.

**Usha88**: Aw, thanks for offering to help! Nice to know there's someone like you out there.

**Arwenevenstar88**: Hehe I think the title has been explained in this chapter. What you may now ask is who exactly is having whose baby… well, to that I can say… nothing, because that will spoil the surprise! Read on! Btw, I read your profile… KURT COBAIN FOREVER!

If you are interesting in me updating, please **R/R**!

Peace,

Anasazi

PS. If you are interested in visiting my other stories, here are the URL's:

Caught in a Web: 

The Beast Within: 


	3. To Be or Not To Be

**Chapter 3: To Be or Not To Be**

***********

Harry opened his eyes to find the worried faces of Hermione and Ginny hovering just inches above his.

He yelped like a girl.

-"Ginny, help me get him up," Hermione huffed as she grabbed one of Harry's arms. Ginny did the same with Harry's other arm, and Harry soon found he was being hoisted from the floor and dropped on a chair.

-"Dear, get him some hot chocolate," Hermione said to Ginny as he put her hand against Harry's forehead. Ginny nodded and quickly made her way thru the crowd of onlookers toward Tom the bartender. -"I'm okay, Mione," Harry whispered. 

_'Did I just hear them right? Did they just ask me to be the father of their baby? No, this didn't happen. This just didn't happen. This is insane!'_

-"Harry, you are a lousy drinker," Ginny said as she came back with a cup of hot cocoa in her hand and placed it in front of Harry. -"Nothing to see here, folks. He's alright!" Ginny turned around and waved at the patrons of the bar, whom slowly made their way back to their respective tables.

But Hermione's eyes were locked with Harry's. Even when she was looking at him with a worried smile, he could see the severe disappointment in her eyes.

_'She knows.'_

If there was one thing Harry hated in the world was to hurt his best friend.

-"I'll… I'll think about it…" Harry said quickly. Ginny thought she had heard him wrong, so she leaned closer and asked, -"What?"

-"I said… I'll think about it…" Harry repeated, his eyes still locked with Hermione's. Ginny grinned like a madman and threw her arms around Harry's neck, almost knocking him back to the floor.

-"Oh, Harry! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!" Ginny said quickly, kissing him on the cheek and knocking all the air out of his lungs. But Hermione just looked at him with a critical expression in her lovely brown eyes, her face tilted to the side.

_'Why isn't she happy like Ginny?'_

-"Are you sure you want to think about it, Harry? I mean… if you don't want to do this, is okay. We'll find someone else," Hermione said softly, squeezing Harry's shoulder in support.

-"What are you saying, Mione? Harry already said he was going to think about it! Don't scare the poor boy!" Ginny said quickly, before Harry had a chance to reply.

-"I just… I just don't want to pressure him, dear. This is a big thing we are asking of him," Hermione said softly, hoping to reach only Ginny's ears. Which was impossible since they were both fussing over Harry.

Ginny, who was obviously so excited about the possibilities to notice Harry's terror-stricken face, said, -"Come on, hon! This is Harry! He'd give his life for us… why not a little sperm?"

-"STOP TALKING ABOUT ME AS IF I WAS NOT HERE!" 

-"Sorry, Harry!" the two ladies said apologetically at the same time.

'How can I do what they just asked me? I can't even say the word spe…' 

-"Alright, I said I was going to think about it… And I AM going to think about it…" Harry blurted, ruffling his raven hair to ease his growing headache.

-"When do you think you'll have an answer then?" Ginny asked, taking Hermione's hand in her own and squeezing it gently.

  
Harry couldn't help but feel like a complete jerk. Hermione and Ginny obviously wanted a child very much.  And he knew that it was a privilege that of all the men in their life, they had come to him. But the lingering fear and apprehension kept growing until he had trouble breathing.

_'How can I give them what I never had? How can I make them a family?'_

But one thing Harry didn't have at the moment was the heart to let them down. The least he could do was to actually think about it, even if he was sure about what the final answer will be.

-"This weekend at the Burrow… Charlie's wedding. I'll give you my answer at the wedding," Harry said, trying to sound as convincing as possible, knowing full well Hermione had the distinct ability to read him like a book.

-"OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH!" once again Ginny threw herself at him, crushing him in a hug. -"Come on, love… we don't want to kill Harry," Hermione said with a gentle smile as she pulled Ginny away from Harry, who was already a little blue in the cheeks.

-"Listen, Harry… we have to leave now. Mom's waiting for us. But we'll see you this weekend, okay?" Ginny blurted, her voice still shrilly with happiness. Harry forced himself to smile as he stood up and nodded at the redhead. He couldn't help but notice how Hermione didn't share Ginny's excitement.

-"Yeah. See ya at the… at the… at the wedding," Harry blurted as he hugged Ginny goodbye. Hermione whispered in Ginny's ear, -"Honey, get the floo powder. I'll be right there." Harry watched with apprehension as Ginny made her way to the fireplace on the far corner, leaving him alone with Hermione.

-"Harry, are you sure you want to think about this? If the answer is no, well… you can tell me now. I won't be mad, I swear," Hermione whispered as she came closer. Harry gulped; he had trouble saying no when she looked at him with those chocolate eyes.

-"I… I…"

_'… Can't do it…won't do it… am disgusted by it… bla bla bla…'_

-"I'll think about it, Mione," Harry said, smiling down at her. She seemed to have finally believed him judging by the smile she was giving him.

-"Thank you, Harry," she said in a whisper as she put her arms around his neck and hugged him. He couldn't help but hug her back, saying, -"That's what friends are for."

_'You are a big hypocrite, Harry Potter!'_

Hermione leaned back a bit so Harry could watch her while they were still hugging. -"Just remember that… if you decide not to go thru with this… well… nothing's going to change between us," she said as she locked her eyes with Harry.

Harry gulped.

-"You will always be my best friend," she smiled gently up at him, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek before giving him another quick hug. Hermione then turned around and walked over to where the grinning Ginny was standing. He watched as Hermione's arm draped over Ginny's shoulders, and how Ginny snaked her arm around Hermione's waist before giving her quick peck on the lips.

Looking over her shoulder, Hermione said, -"We'll see you at the wedding!" And with two distinct flashes of green coming from the fireplace, they were gone.

Harry was still as a statue, the only sign of life that came from him was the slow up and down movement of his chest. After a few moments, he touched the cheek that was still smudge with Ginny and Hermione's lipstick. 

His hand lingered there, wondering how in the world had he ended up having this conversation with the two women he loved the most in the world.

-"Are you okay, Harry?" he heard Tom asked. Harry blinked, not realizing that he had not moved for the last five minutes. -"Um… yeah, I'm okay," he said quickly before Tom had a chance to ask him about what happened earlier.

-"Ah. Off to practice now, Harry?" Tom asked as he went back to wiping the mugs before putting them on the counter. -"Yeah. The Season starts soon… I'll see you later, Tom," Harry said, grabbing his discarded gym bag from the floor and making a quick exit as Tom said, -"See ya, Harry!"

Harry wasn't sure how he managed to walk to the 20 minutes to the Quidditch field that his team, the Chudley Cannons, used for practice. His mind was on playback and repeat mode, replaying over and over again in his head the image of the two girls asking him if he could be the father of their baby. Lucky that he had made this same walk for so long or he would have gotten lost.

What could it mean to be the father of a baby from a couple like Ginny and Hermione? 

Was he expected to act like a surrogate, only helping out by jerking off into a cup (_Eww, I can't even think about it!_) and watch from afar as the girls raise the kid he helped create? 

Or was he supposed to be good old Uncle Harry, having no more responsibility than to give the kid gifts on Christmas and birthdays?

Or did Hermione and Ginny expect him to act like a real father? Caring for the kid, acting as mentor, as protector, as teacher, and as best friend?

Before he knew it, Harry was already standing in front of the gates to Quidditch stadium. The air was knocked out of his lungs when he felt a hard slap on his back.

He looked over his shoulder to fine the grinning and freckled face of his best friend, Ronald Weasley. Ronald was not only his friend, but his teammate, seeing as they had both started playing for the Chudley Cannons four years ago. Ron was one of the best Keepers in the team's history, and Harry was none too shabby in his role as Seeker.

-"Mate, what's wrong with you? You've been standing there for the last five minutes," Ron said with a smile as he adjusted the Firebolt he was carrying over his shoulder. He was a good few inches taller than Harry, but between his freckles and his messy red hair, Ron looked like a big kid.

-"Nothing, Ron. I just don't feel like practice today," Harry lied, managing to smile at Ron. -"Well, we don't have a choice. Besides, you know we can't disappoint our thousands of fans!" Ron winked. He half-pushed, half-dragged Harry past the gates and into the stadium.

Harry could see the rest of his team was already gathered on the field, some stretching and flexing on the ground, some doing laps around the field, others already taking their brooms for a warm up flight. The familiar screeching of dozens of giggling voices followed them as they entered the field. Harry didn't need to look up from the ground to know that the Quidditch groupies had arrived before them.

-"HARRY, YOU ARE SO INCREDIBLE! CAN YOU SIGN MY BREAST?"

-"RON! RON! CAN I HAVE A KISS?"

-"RON! LOOK AT ME!"

-"RON! I LOVE YOU!"

-"HARRY! YOU ARE THE BEST!"

As always, Harry pretty much ignored them, managing a quick smile while saying, -"Sorry ladies. I need to practice." Ron, however, basked in the glory. With a wink, he said, -"Ladies! Ladies! Calm down! There's enough Ron to go around!"  He then grabbed the blond girl that had requested a kiss and smacked a wet one right on her lips. She swooned and was saved from a nasty fall by another enthusiastic fan.

Harry kept walking, leaving Ron to sign, kiss, and pose his way thru the crowd of giggling beauties. While Ron was exhilarated by the attention (he deserved no less), Harry just found it tiring. A crowd of giggling beauties that would do anything to have a night with him was not what he wanted.

_'That's because I want something I can never have.'_

-"Shut up," Harry mumbled, silencing that always present and always nagging little voice inside his head. He looked up just in time to see Oliver Wood, the Captain and Beater of the team, smile at him. He approached Wood, ready to get down to business and leave this place, aching for a bottle of firewhiskey to numb his head.

-"Wotcher, Harry. Ready for practice?" Oliver said, shaking Harry's hand. Harry nodded absently. -"Good. Give me five laps around the field," Oliver said, sighing at the sight of Ron signing the chest of a very buxom brown-haired beauty.

-"And tell Mr. I'm-too-sexy-for-my-broom that if he wants to have a go at his fans, he better do it before practice starts," Olivier added wryly as he climbed into his broom and beat the Quaffle the team's other beater, Kelsey Manchester, threw at him.

-"RON! GET YOUR ASS HERE!" Harry screamed as he carried his gym bag to the locker room. Changing quickly into his practice robes, he took a good look at himself in the dusty mirror.

How can such a normal day bring such a surprising turn of events?

Harry forced the issue to the back of his head as he took his broom and left the locker room. Not so surprising, Ron had decided to take off his shirt in front of the screaming girls like a seasoned stripper, and was now making them groan as he dressed himself with the Chudley Cannons robe.

Ron took a small exit bow at the girls and jogged toward Harry. -"When will you ever grow up?" Harry muttered grumpily, sounding an awful lot like Molly Weasley. Thankfully, Ron was still basking on the glow of success to notice Harry's sour mood.

They started their warm-up routine together in silence, and only after passing by the giggling girls a second time did Ron speak. "-So… did you see my sister today?" he asked. -"Yes," Harry panted. After a few more seconds, Ron asked, -"And Hermione too?"

-"Of course, Hermione too! I always meet them at the Three Broomsticks with them before every practice. You know that!" Harry replied. Ron scoffed, -"I don't know how you do it, mate."

Harry was about to turn around and give Ron a piece of his mind when they heard Oliver's voice say, -"Alright, guys. Enough warm-ups. Let's get it on!"

Oliver's assistant handed them their brooms, and with the sound of Oliver's whistle they pushed themselves off the ground and joined their teammates already on the air.

For around 45 minutes, the Chudley Cannons' practice session went as regular. Oliver had taught the two Chasers a new move, and they were now busy practicing. Kelsey was polishing his targeting skills with various targets the assistant was summoning throughout the field, and Oliver himself was making Ron sweat as he threw one Quaffle after another toward the goal posts.

Harry was the only one that was not having a regular day. He hadn't spotted the snitch yet, simply because he hadn't looked for it. He couldn't think about a little golden ball with wings right now, not when he was replaying in his head what his friends had asked of him that morning.

As he flew around aimlessly, Harry remembered a particular night four years ago that had shaken him up as much as Hermione and Ginny's request today.

It was the end of the summer after Ginny's graduation from Hogwarts. Hermione was starting Auror training on September, and Harry and Ron had been drafted into the Chudley Cannon's roster and were to begin training on mid-September. Fearing that it might become difficult for them to get together, Hermione and Harry had accepted Ron and Ginny's invitation to spend the last month of summer together at the Burrow.

*********************

August 29th

Four Years Ago

Harry was absently swinging back and forth on the magical swing set Ron, Hermione and Ginny and himself had built this summer, thinking about what he had meant to do for the last three weeks and still hadn't found the courage to do.

The sun was already sinking behind the mountains, and a few stars had already appeared on the dark-blue sky. Ron was inside the house, watching a football game with his brothers on the TV set Harry had given him for his birthday. Hermione and Ginny had gone for a walk a few hours ago, while Harry had spent what will be his last day at the Burrow contemplating whatever it is love sick fools contemplate.

He aimlessly kicked a rock with the tip of his shoe, watching it roll a little way down before it stopped completely. In a way, he was like that rock. Life would give him a little push every now and then to confess to her how he felt, but he always stopped himself before actually doing it.

He heard footsteps on the ground behind him; Harry didn't need to look over his shoulder to recognize Ron.

-"What are you doing Harry? You are missing the game!" Ron called to him. –"It's too nice a night to be cooped up inside," Harry replied with a tired smile.

Ron took a seat on the swing next to Harry. –"Are Hermione and Ginny back yet?" Ron asked casually. –"Not yet," Harry mumbled, looking up and scanning the grounds.

-"Those two… they've gone missing every day since Hermione came here. Sometimes I think they are up to something they are not telling us," Ron said with humor. –"Have I ever told you how paranoid you are?" Harry chided.

-"You would be paranoid too if your ex-girlfriend and your little sister spent so much time together. Those two have enough material to blackmail me for the rest of my life," Ron laughed. Harry grinned genuinely.

They spent the next minute in silence, just swinging back and forth, enjoying the feel of the refreshing night breeze in their skin. It was Ron who broke the silence by bringing up the subject Harry was avoiding.

-"She leaves in the morning, you know. You don't have too much time to talk to her," Ron said, his voice unusually sober. –"I know, Ron… I just don't know if… if I should…" Harry whispered, kicking another rock and watching it roll downhill.

-"Afraid of what her answer might be?" Ron asked. Harry nodded apprehensively. -"You shouldn't be. She loves you. I'm sure of it," Ron said, shifting uncomfortably in the swing.

_'Who knows? Maybe for once in his life Ron is right about something. In any case, it doesn't matter.'_

-"I'll talk to her tonight after dinner," Harry said with finality. They heard footsteps coming from the small road to the nearby lake, and they both looked up in time to see Hermione and Ginny approaching.

Ginny was dressed in a flowery summer dress that reached just above her knees. Her red hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she had a daisy stuck behind her ear. She had a bunch of daisies on her left hand, and her right hand was safely clutched in Hermione's hand. She seemed to be laughing out loud at something Hermione was telling her.

Hermione was dressed in simple low-cut jeans and a white blouse. She had always been beautiful in Harry's eyes, but she had adopted a strong physical workout regime during the summer to help her with her Auror training, and she now looked better than ever. Her brown hair was not bushy anymore, but fell just above her waist in long and graceful curls. Like Ginny, she had a daisy flower tucked behind her ear.

Her brown eyes were sparkling with tears of laughter, and her smile, the feature that Harry loved the most about his best friend, seemed to light up the way toward them.

They stopped talking when they saw Harry and Ron on the swings, and they casually let go of each other hands. Hermione instinctively hovered toward Harry, while Ginny stood behind her older brother and started pushing his swing.

-"Where were you?" Ron asked, swinging back and forth, his long legs bent for fear of hitting the ground. –"We took a walk around the lake," Ginny answered matter-of-factly. –"A two hour walk?" Ron asked incredulously.

-"Tempus Fugit, Ron… tempus fugit," Hermione answered, now taking her turn to push Harry slightly. –"Hermione, we left Hogwarts two years ago. You can cut on the Latin now," Ron sighed.

-"We missed you," Harry said, honestly. Hermione stopped pushing him long enough to ruffle his black hair. –"We missed you too," she said with humor, not believing that Harry could really miss her after she was only gone for a couple of hours.

What Hermione didn't know was that Harry had missed her the entire summer. Every time he thought he had managed to be alone with her, Ginny would join them, and Harry's conversation with Hermione had to be postponed.

It had to be tonight or never.

Molly Weasley's voice thundered from the house, -"DINNER'S READY!" Ron jumped from the swing, turned around and ran toward the house, slapping Ginny's behind on his way. –"Race you!" he challenged. 

-"Oh, you'll regret this!" Ginny laughed. She may have been wearing a dress and sandals, but that didn't stopped her from pulling up her dress and running toward the house, beating her taller brother by just a second.

Hermione and Harry had been watching this with amused expressions. –"They don't grow up, do they?" Hermione said. Harry, smiling softly, touched the daisy on Hermione's hair and said, -"You aren't exactly the picture of maturity."

Hermione playfully stuck her tongue out at him and said, –"I think it makes me look pretty." Impulsively, Harry stood up from the swing and stood in front of her. He tapped the tip of her nose with his finger, making her smile, and said, -"You are the prettiest girl I know."

He held onto her gaze, hoping that his eyes could communicate to her everything he felt. He realized he failed, however, when she smiled wryly at him and slapped his foreman, saying, "You are one sweet talker, Mr. Potter."

He looked down at his shoes, hoping to hide the disappointed expression in his face. A few moments of uncomfortable silence followed, and it wasn't until he heard Hermione say -"Harry, there's something I want to tell you" that he looked up.

She wasn't smiling anymore. In fact, she was wearing a very serious expression on her lovely face. Her back and shoulders were full of tension, and she was nervously fidgeting with the daisy that used to be on her hair.

-"What is it?" Harry asked worriedly, holding her hands gently in his own, stopping her from doing further damage to the flower. Hermione was about to open her mouth when she was interrupted by Molly's second call of the night, 

-"HARRY! MIONE! DINNER'S GETTING COLD!"

Hermione's determination to continue their conversation vanished before Harry's very eyes.

-"We better go back," she said, managing a tiny smile for Harry's sake. Harry didn't want to push her, knowing from personal experience that she would talk when she's ready. Instead, she took the battered daisy from her hand and tucked it back beside her ear, making her smile a genuine smile.

-"Can I escort you to dinner, Madam?" Harry said, holding her arm out for her. She took it, and they walked together back to the Weasley house.

Dinner went fairly smoothly, or as smoothly as it could go in a table with 10 hungry individuals sitting at it. Bill and Percy were missing, since they were both married and had homes of their own. Charlie was on vacation from Romania, and joining Harry and Hermione for a summer at the Burrow was Angelina Johnson, former Hogwarts students and current fiancé of Fred Weasley.

Harry had stolen glances at Hermione during the entire dinner. She was smiling and talking animatedly with Mr. Weasley about muggle economy, but to Harry she still looked slightly nervous. Her shoulders were still stiff, just like he had seen outside, and every time Ginny opened her mouth to speak Hermione seemed to jump a bit.

After dessert, Molly filled all their glasses with homemade butterbeer. Tapping his mug with his fork, Mr. Weasley asked for everyone's attention.

-"As you all know," Arthur started in his most official tone, -"this is our last dinner together as a big extended family. In two days, our dear Hermione starts with her 3-year Auror training, and in two weeks our sons Ron and Harry start their first season with the Chudley Cannons. And we want the three of them to know how proud we are of them."

Arthur raised his mug, and everyone followed. "To the future," Arthur toasted. –"TO THE FUTURE!" everyone repeated. Harry chuckled inwardly at the sight of Hermione's flushed cheeks. She looked lovely when she was embarrassed.

After everyone had taken a gulp out of their mugs, Molly said, -"Dear, I think you should tell them." Arthur looked up at his wife and nodded. –"Tell us what?" George asked him.

It was Arthur's turn to look embarrassed. Smiling, he said –"Well, your old dad was just nominated by the Wizengamot for the position of Minister of Magic."

The table became so silent that you could have heard a pin drop a mile away. It wasn't until Ron's rather inappropriate –"Bloody hell!" that everyone started clapping and cheering for the now redder than ever Arthur.

-"No one deserves this more than you, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said with a warm smile, raising her mug. –"To dad!" Charlie said, following her example and raising his own mug. –"TO DAD!" everyone cheered, taking another gulp of the refreshing drinks.

The boys were talking about the changes Arthur might bring to the Ministry when Ginny cleared her throat, showing it was her turn to speak. When everyone had gone silent, Ginny looked up from her plate and faced the table.

-"There's something I want you all to know too. I've been… I've been seeing someone special for a while now… In fact, I'm in a relationship… a serious relationship and… I think this is THE one…" Ginny said, raising her hand and showing them a promise ring on her right finger.

-"I'm very happy and… and I think is time for me to share that happiness with my family," Ginny finished with an uncharacteristically timid smile. Her parents were speechless, but the rest of the Weasleys did not share their reaction. Ginny had barely finished the sentence when her brothers had entered full-interrogation mode.

-"Who is he?"

-"What does he do?"

-"How long have you known him?"

-"How long have you date him?"

-"When can we meet him?"

-"Does he have a criminal record?"

-"Is his ass big? Just in case we need to kick it."

Ginny smiled at the last comment by Ron, and confidently replied –"About the ass, well… let's just say you can see for yourself… right now."

Everyone concluded the same thing, judging by how all heads snapped in Harry's direction. Harry was as surprised as the rest of them, and could only manage to stare dumbfounded back at them,

-"Harry, why didn't you tell…?" Ron started asking, but didn't get a chance to finish the sentence as he was interrupted by the scraping of a chair on the other end of the table. Everyone looked at the source of the sound, and an audible gasp came from Molly's lips.

Ginny had stood up, but she had not been the only one to do so. There was a person standing next to her, holding Ginny's hand and facing the rest of the table with a shy smile. It was only then Harry noticed the matching promise ring on the person's right hand.

Harry was the first one to voice out what was on everyone's mind.

"HERMIONE!?"

*********************

Hello, everyone. I leave you now with a not-so-surprising cliffhanger. I just wanted to establish the nature of the relationship between H-Hr-G. More on the flashback, Ron and Draco on the next chapter.

And thanks to all my wonderful reviewers:

**Singin'-Newsies-Goil:** Glad you liked it. Rowling-esque? That's one of the best compliments I've ever had! Hope you like the new chapter!

**Requiem to a Dream:** Hehe glad to shock. ^__^ Just remember that the title does not necessarily mean Harry… could be Hermione speaking about Ginny. ^_- Or… you'll have to wait and see!

**Nightwing 509:** So happy to make you laugh, but just wait till Draco comes into the picture!

**Lisa Oceans Potter:** Hey sweetheart! Glad to have you here. Hope to read more from you soon!

**Julia:** Glad you find it interesting. What it means? Mmm… you'll have to wait for that one.

Peace,

Anasazi


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